The first hike of the Orinda Hiking Club was on April 7, 1990. Five persons, including Dobie and Ann Jenkins, Anne Diller, Bill King and Ron VanDette hiked in the Homestead Valley of Briones Regional Park. Originally plans were to hike one Saturday a month, but, due to the popularity of the hikes, in February 1994 two Saturday hikes a month were undertaken. Still the membership continued to grow and four day-hikes per month were necessary so the group would not become too unwieldy.

In July 1992 the first weekend trip to the Sonora Pass was held, with 30 members attending. This proved so popular that other short trips followed, including the Mendocino Coast, Joshua Tree National Monument, Mt. Hood in Oregon, the Appalachians and many more.

In September 1993 our first long trip was to the Alps in Switzerland. 24 members participated in this outing. Subsequently we have hiked areas of Norway, Switzerland, Italy, Sicily, Austria, the Slovak Republic, England, Ireland and others.

The first overnight backpack was held in April 1994, hiking to Maggie's Half Acre and Del Valle in the Ohlone Wilderness Area. This proved so successful that other backpacks have been held each summer in the Sierras.

In the future, car camping hike outings are planned.

The Orinda Hiking Club is governed by a Steering Committee which has a chairman and a treasurer. This committee oversees the activities of the Club, including the Day Trips Committee, the Short Trips Committee and the Long Trips Committee.

The Day Trips Committee is responsible for selecting locations and finding leaders for the Saturday and Sunday hikes, the Wednesday hikes and the evening Street Strolls. Saturday hikes are normally held the first three Saturdays of each month; the fourth weekend a Sunday hike is held. If there is a fifth Saturday, a more difficult hike is planned. Wednesday hikes and evening Street Strolls are held once a month.

The Short Trips Committee plans all of the outings and hikes that take place over a weekend or longer periods up to eight days in length. A short trip is scheduled approximately every 2-3 months.

The Long Trips Committee chooses, plans, and organizes the land arrangements for all trips over 8 days in length. These can be either international or domestic trips. Several are offered each year.

The Short Trips and Long Trips Commitees have now been combined.